AUSTRALIA: Mario Nawfal, the social media personality, received fierce criticism due to one of his grave mistakes.
He reported fake news on the Bondi Beach terror attackers. Firstly, Nawfal had claimed that the shooters were father and son and of Pakistani origin.
The post was later deleted by him following scrutiny by the people. The damage was, however, done. Questions and fact-checkers soon revealed that the statement was false.
It has since been established by news reports who the attackers are. The alleged gunmen are Sajid Akram, 50, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24.
They were located in the south-west of Sydney. Reports did not validate their country of origin at the time of the officials. More importantly, none of their credible sources ever associated them with Pakistan.
Is Mario Nawfal, PTI’ paid journalist? Net citizens debate
Mario Nawfal is now the focus of online discussion as to whether he has some sort of financial association with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
This is even though there is no actual evidence to prove that he is a paid or salaried journalist of PTI; his platform has always had prominent persons related to the party.
As an example, Nawfal had a June 2023 interview with PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
Moreover, he did a special interview with the sons of Imran Khan in May 2025 and had a conversation with the sister of Imran Khan, Aleema Khan, about the alleged kidnapping of her sons.
This elevated visibility and coverage have created controversy among net citizens regarding the type of his association with the political party.
The first post by Nawfal helped spread misinformation on the internet. The fact that this happened is worrying regarding instant sharing of news that might not be verified.
The tout is a term that is used to refer to those people who market information with their own interests.
This was the term that the critics applied to Nawfal to capitalize on a tragedy. Sensationalism in order to push engagement was accused to many people.
Moreover, the misinformation added to anti-immigrant and Islamophobic remarks on social media.
The police declared in Australia that the shooting was a terrorist act. They reckon that it was focused on the Jewish society as they celebrated Hanukkah.
The Prime Minister described the incident as pure evil antisemitism. This was a tragic event that claimed the lives of sixteen people. Hence, quick and precise reporting is important in such crises.
Also Read: Bondi Beach attack: Pakistani citizen unveils Indian propaganda
